Artículo original Metaciclogénesis y desarrollo de Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) en Lutzomyia ovallesi (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Leishmania-vector interaction is a complex and multifactorial process. During the last few years important advances in the Leishmania-vector interaction have been reached but there still some unknown aspects. This work studies the Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis (Kinetoplastide: Trypanosomatidae) interaction in Lutzomia ovallesi (Diptera: Psychodidae). L. ovallesi females were artificially infected and the development pattern, parasite density, and promastigote morphotype sequence in the intestinal regions were determined, as well as the effect of re-feeding, and the carbohydrate pattern of the leptomonad surface using fluorescent lectins. The results showed suprapiloric development of L. (L.)amazonensis. Parasite density showed two division cycles separated in time and space, morphotypes characterized as dividing paramastigotes were observed. Re-feeding did not alter the migration of morphotypes and the greater proportion of leptomonads in the middle intestine suggests a natural migration which could be modulated by the carbohydrate gradient in the phlebotom intestine and by exposure to saliva. Leptomonads exhibited different glyconjugate union patterns which suggest the presence of various carbohydrate residues in the cell surface of the parasite and/or flagellum, which can have important functions in the interaction and stability of the parasites in the intestinal lumen and their migration to the different intestinal regions. Several aspects of L. (L.)amazonensis development in L. ovallesi important for understanding its vectorial potency are discussed.